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From: montnaro@spyder.crd.ge.com (Skip Montanaro)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.c++
Subject: different member functions with same arg types?
Message-ID: <MONTNARO.91Jan18230744@spyder.crd.ge.com>
Date: 19 Jan 91 04:07:44 GMT
Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com
Reply-To: montanaro@crdgw1.ge.com (Skip Montanaro)
Organization: GE Corporate Research & Development, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 50


I am writing a parser class for a small language. I'd like it to be able to
parse input from strings and files. The natural class interface (for me) is
something like:

    class parser : public ...
    {
	...
	public:
	    parse(char *string);
	    parse(char *filename);
	...
    }

Unfortunately, both strings and filenames are char *'s, so the compiler
can't distinguish the two interfaces. Is it kosher to add a dummy argument
to one member function? It seems crude to me:

    class parser : public ...
    {
	...
	public:
	    parse(char *string);
	    parse(char *filename, unsigned int dummy);
	...
    }

The other idea that occurs to me is to use a class to contain either the
string or the filename, but not both:

    class parser : public ...
    {
	...
	public:
	    parse(String string);
	    parse(char *filename);
	...
    }

This seems like overkill, when all I want is the string's value, not all the
other baggage of the String class.

I'm open to suggestions for alternate interfaces.

(BTW, I'm a C++ novice.)

Thx,

--
Skip (montanaro@crdgw1.ge.com)